Louisville Story Program

What Louisville Story Program does

Louisville Story Program is a 501(c)-equivalent nonprofit documentary publishing organization founded in 2013 and headquartered on the campus of Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky. The organization partners with communities — including underserved youth, community elders, schools, and cultural institutions — to produce first-person nonfiction books, podcasts, photo exhibitions, and digital archives that preserve Louisville's cultural heritage. Its published catalog spans ten core titles including "Our Shawnee" (2014), "I Said Bang!: A History of the Dirt Bowl" (2016), "We Can Hear You Just Fine" (2016), "Available Light: Louisville Through the Lens of Bud Dorsey" (2017), "No Single Sparrow Makes a Summer" (2018), "Better Lucky Than Good" (2019, Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award winner), "If You Write Me a Letter, Send It Here" (2023), and the 4CD box set "I'm Glad About It: The Legacy of Gospel Music in Louisville" (2024, 2024 AASLH History in Progress Award and Award of Excellence).

The core methodology combines intensive collaborative editing support with community-led oral history collection; supporting technology is rooted in traditional documentary production (radio, podcast, photography) rather than algorithmic systems. The organization operates an active digitization pipeline with the University of Louisville Archives covering 20,000+ historic photographs from the Louisville Defender collection, and a free online archive of 1,000 gospel songs at gospel.louisvillestoryprogram.org.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: one-time book and merchandise sales (e.g., $35 hardbound titles) via the organization's own e-commerce store and Louisville retail partners; recurring donations from individuals; and recurring grants and foundation support, with documented financial partnerships spanning Ballmer Group, Casey Family Programs, Brown-Forman, Fund for the Arts, Louisville Metro Government, Kentucky Arts Council, Impact100 Louisville, and the Jacob & Valeria Langeloth Foundation. Distribution is restricted to a single domestic geography (Louisville) through the LSP online store and five known retail partners including Carmichael's Bookstore and the Kentucky Derby Museum Gift Shop. The organization is led by Executive Director Darcy Thompson, Deputy Director Joe Manning, and Director of Operations Christine Gosney, with a Board that now includes a former LSP author.

Name

Louisville Story Program

Legal name

Louisville Story Program

Website

https://louisvillestoryprogram.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Louisville Story Program is a Louisville-based nonprofit (founded 2013) that partners with schools and community groups to publish first-person oral history books, podcasts, and digital archives documenting underrepresented Louisville communities and cultural heritage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Documentary Publishing

NAICS

Book Publishers (513130), Libraries and Archives (51921)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Biography, Memoir & Narrative Nonfiction Publishing (MPAJAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Literary Arts & Writing Organizations (BPAGAHAK), Libraries, Archives & Special Collections (BPAGAHAF)

Keywords

• Community documentary publishing
• Oral history preservation
• Nonprofit book publishing
• Cultural heritage media
• Collaborative nonfiction writing

Headquarters

HQ city

Louisville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Book and merchandise sales: Sale of published books and merchandise through online store and retail partners
2. Donations and fundraising: Donations from individuals and organizations supporting community storytelling work
3. Grants and foundation support: Funding from foundations and government grants for specific projects

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Louisville Story Program partners with communities in Louisville to collaboratively produce documentary nonfiction books, box sets, podcasts, and digital archives that preserve local heritage and underrepresented voices. Community members serve as authors with intensive editorial support, and outputs are sold through an online store, bookstores, museum gift shops, and community events, while the work is sustained by donations and grants.

Product overview

Louisville Story Program is a documentary publishing organization that produces books, podcasts, exhibitions, and community events. The core offerings are oral history books written by community members documenting various aspects of Louisville's history and culture. Key publications include Better Lucky Than Good (Churchill Downs workers), I'm Glad About It (gospel music heritage box set with online archive), If You Write Me a Letter (Russell neighborhood redevelopment), Available Light (Bud Dorsey photography), and You Got To Be of the People (peacekeepers/public safety). Additional products include the Track Changes podcast, Save Our Stories Festival, and the Louisville Black Photography Restoration Project. The organization operates primarily as a nonprofit publishing house focused on community-led documentary storytelling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• You Got To Be of the People: Peacekeepers at the Heart of Public Safety in Louisville Book authored by 12 community members illuminating community violence intervention efforts in Louisville through first-person narratives, published for general readers and educators.
• I'm Glad About It: The Legacy of Gospel Music in Louisville 4CD box set with 208-page hardbound documentary book preserving Louisville's gospel music heritage from 1958-1981, including 83 restored songs, sold to general consumers and music enthusiasts.
• If You Write Me a Letter, Send It Here: Voices of Russell In a Time of Change Book documenting Louisville's historic Russell neighborhood undergoing nearly $1 billion in redevelopment, told by 26 resident writers, sold to general readers interested in local history.
• Available Light: Louisville Through the Lens of Bud Dorsey Photography book honoring Bud Dorsey, West Louisville's most iconic photographer, documenting Black Louisville life through his photographs, sold to general readers and photography enthusiasts.
• Better Lucky Than Good: Tall Tales and Straight Talk from the Backside of the Track Book documenting the unique world of Churchill Downs backside workers, written by grooms, hot walkers, jockeys, exercise riders, and other equine workers, sold to horse racing enthusiasts and general readers.
• We Can Hear You Just Fine: Clarifications from the Kentucky School for the Blind World's first anthology of nonfiction written by blind and visually impaired teens, documenting their experiences, sold to general readers, educators, and disability advocacy audiences.
• I Said Bang!: A History of the Dirt Bowl Book documenting the Dirt Bowl basketball tournament history, the Crown Jewel of Louisville's basketball culture, sold to sports enthusiasts and Louisville history readers.
• No Single Sparrow Makes a Summer Book by nine young women from immigrant and refugee backgrounds documenting cultural communities of South Louisville, sold to general readers and immigration/cultural studies audiences.
• Our Shawnee First book documenting Shawnee neighborhood stories authored by high school students from The Academy @ Shawnee, sold to general readers and Louisville community.
• In Heaven Everyone Will Shake Your Hand: The Art of Julie Baldyga Book documenting self-taught artist Julie Baldyga and her 'heavenly people' artwork collection, sold to art enthusiasts and Louisville community members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Published multiple award-winning books with diverse community authors
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Roots 101 African American MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of Save Our Stories Festival celebrating community-led preservation and storytelling. Museum serves as festival venue and collaborative partner in African American heritage preservation efforts.
• Community Archiving Workshop CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Save Our Stories Festival bringing expertise in community archiving practices and hands-on workshop facilitation for archival materials.
• Louisville Public Media (WFPL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced 'Track Changes' podcast featuring thoroughbred racing workers during 2021 Derby week. Ongoing partnership for radio stories and audio documentary content.
• University of Louisville ArchivescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to digitize 20,000+ photographs from the Louisville Defender newspaper collection for public accessibility.
• Backside Learning CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChurchill Downs nonprofit serving equine workers. Proceeds from 'Better Lucky Than Good' benefit the center. Collaborative partner for backside community documentation.
• Muhammad Ali CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for book launches and events. Co-produced photography exhibit with Bud Dorsey's work. Ongoing venue sponsor for anniversary celebration.
• Kentucky BIPOCU Filmmakers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Save Our Stories Festival providing hands-on documentary video making activities.
• Louisville Free Public LibrarycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner providing access to Louisville Defender digital archive and venue for community events and author readings.
• Carmichael's BookstorecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary retail partner for LSP books at two Louisville locations. Host of author readings and book launch events.
• Kentucky Performing ArtsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for launch concert of 'I'm Glad About It' gospel music box set at Brown Theatre.
• Center for Interfaith RelationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Festival of Faiths programming and gospel music preservation events including community archiving initiatives.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• StoryCorps: National nonprofit oral history organization that records, preserves, and shares first-person stories through audio, books, animations, and an archived collection. Directly comparable to LSP in mission (community-led oral history), nonprofit funding model, and multi-format output (recordings, podcasts, books, online archive).
• City Lore: New York-based nonprofit dedicated to documenting and preserving urban folk culture, grassroots history, and community traditions through publications, exhibits, and festivals. Closely matches LSP's community-heritage-preservation model, multi-format output, and annual festival programming (Save Our Stories Festival).
• The Moth: Nonprofit storytelling organization producing live events, a Peabody-winning podcast, and bestselling books of first-person true stories told live. Comparable to LSP in community-led first-person storytelling, books-plus-podcast output, and nonprofit events-driven model.
• 826 National: National nonprofit network of youth writing and publishing programs that produce student-authored books and storytelling projects in partnership with schools. Directly comparable to LSP on the youth-authored nonfiction book model (e.g., Our Shawnee, We Can Hear You Just Fine, No Single Sparrow).
• Callaloo Creative Writing Workshop: Nonprofit arts organization running creative writing workshops for youth and adults that produce published anthologies. Directly comparable to LSP's collaborative workshop-to-book pipeline and literary-arts nonprofit identity.

Broad incumbents

• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture: NYPL research center dedicated to preserving Black history and culture through archives, exhibitions, and public programs. Overlaps with LSP's Louisville Defender digitization, Black photojournalism preservation, and Roots 101 festival partnerships, though anchored in a major research library.
• Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage: Federal program producing the annual Folklife Festival, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, and cultural heritage research. Overlaps with LSP's gospel music preservation, cultural festival programming, and archival work, but operates at much larger institutional scale and is not a community-publishing house.

Emerging players

• Humans of New York: Photographic and interview storytelling project producing bestselling books and a massive online archive of first-person community portraits. Comparable to LSP in first-person documentary storytelling, book publishing, and community-voice amplification, though primarily a media brand rather than a community-publishing nonprofit.
• Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University: University-based center that supports documentary work in photography, audio, film, and oral history, including community-based projects, publications, and an annual program. Comparable to LSP in documentary storytelling methodology and book/photo publishing, though anchored within an academic institution rather than a standalone nonprofit.

Regional players

• Appalachian Studies Association / Berea College Appalachian Center: Regional network and college-based centers dedicated to documenting and preserving Appalachian culture, history, and community stories through publications, archives, and events. Comparable to LSP in regionally rooted community-heritage publishing model, though focused on a different U.S. region.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@louisvillestory
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Louisville-Story-Program/425899557493653?ref=br_tf
• Instagraminstagram.com/louisvillestory
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/louisville-story-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Louisville Story Program